I scream, You scream, We all scream for Ice Cream!

I scream, you scream, the kids scream! But in honor of summer, let’s all scream for some ice cream! My mission, should I choose to accept it, to find the best local ice cream haunts for you and your family to enjoy this summer. Who wouldn’t want that mission?!?! We’ve scoured the metro and found the following...grab the family and head out for some ice cream tonight!

Poppy’s Ice Cream and Coffee House

307 SE Douglas Street

Historic Downtown

Lee’s Summit, MO 64063

816.246.4141

Last February my husband and I decided to take a weekend away. We got as far as Overland Park, but hey, we were kid-free for 48 hours! We spent Saturday in downtown Lee’s Summit and happened upon Poppy’s (formerly Doc’s Sorbet and Ice Cream Co.). What a scrumptious find! All the ice cream at Poppy’s is made fresh on the premises and you can tell by one taste that this ice cream is homemade! So creamy and smooth! There are so many treats to try-check out the massive wall board menu and be daring! From concretes to prafaits to sundaes, Poppy’s has it all! Poppy’s offers a free children’s size cone for those 2 and under. The kid-sized scoops I ordered for my girls were the perfect size, not a drop was left. Unfortunately I don’t live in Lee’s Summit, but I will drive there plenty this summer (outrageous gas prices or not!) to enjoy Poppy’s!

Murray’s Ice Cream and Cookies

4120 Pennsylvania Ave Kansas City, MO 64111-3299 816.931.5646

Back BC (Before Children), we lived in Quality Hill and considered Murray’s our neighborhood ice cream shop. Now that we’ve moved to the ‘burbs, we still make many treks back to Westport for Murray’s. In addition to all of the ice cream treats, Murray’s also offers a soda fountain and coffee bar. I just can’t go there and not get the Cookie Monster. You get to choose one of their fresh baked cookies, add some ice cream and a topping with whipped cream and a cherry on top. To die for!! The cotton candy ice cream got two thumbs up from my oldest while my youngest couldn’t get enough of the chocolate. Everyone is sure to find something they love at Murray’s!

*Note-Murray’s is closed Sunday and Monday, takes only cash and costs a little more than other ice cream joints, but in my opinion is worth it!

Aunt Jean’s

11210 Johnson Drive

Shawnee, KS 66203

913.268.0550

During college I spent a summer in Europe. It’s safe to say that while in Italy I ate my weight’s worth in gelato. Ever since then I have been searching for gelato that tastes as good as it does in Italy. I am happy to report my search is over! Aunt Jean’s has just what I have been looking for-delicious, fresh gelato. All of the gelato is made on the premises and the flavors are continually changing. You’d be hard pressed to find the same flavors two days in a row! On our visit we were served by one of the owners, Jeaneane Raab (who owns the store with her nephew, Tim Jones). She was so friendly and offered us as many tastes as we liked. I had the pineapple sorbet which was delicious! I had a few (okay, many) tastes of my three-year-old’s chocolate-heaven!! My husband tried one of their peach floats-their version of a root beer float-and said it was terrific. Jeaneane offers hands-on demonstrations of how the gelato is made for groups. She also mentioned that she takes customers suggestions for new flavors-if there is a flavor you would like she’ll see if she can get it made for you. Just give her 24 hours notice for either and you’re good to go! What a delicious, friendly place to frequent this summer.

Sheridan’s Lattes and Frozen Custard

12 area locations

Visit sheridans.com to find location nearest you

Growing up in St. Louis I have many fond memories of summer evenings spent walking to our neighborhood custard stand, ordering custard and then going to my grandma and grandpa’s to enjoy the custard. Jim Sheridan has some of the same memories from his childhood in New York which is why he founded Sheridan’s, with a mission to provide high-quality treats and create memories for families today. He succeeds on both counts. Everything we tried at Sheridan’s was top-notch and so tasty! There are so many treats to choose from-you could visit every day of the summer and never have the same treat twice! Order up some Sheridan’s custard and hang around to enjoy it-you may just make some new friends this summer.

Fun ice cream treat to make at home

What you need:

L’eggo Waffles

Ice Cream

Sprinkles

Toast up two of your favorite L’eggo waffles. Spread ice cream on one half and cover with the other. Roll the sides in the sprinkles. Enjoy!

My sister-in-law, Anna, shared this with me. I teased her about it until I tried it. Every time I make a plate full they disappear. Be creative with your waffle and ice cream pairings and have fun. So easy the kids can do it themselves.

Ice Cream-Did you know?

Adults consume nearly one-half of all ice cream novelties.

Ice cream is an $11 billion retail industry.

It takes an average of 50 licks to polish off a single-scoop ice cream cone. Challenge your family to a Lick-a-Thon, and see who finishes first!